The Queen's strict royal family motto that Meghan Markle struggled with

CHESTER, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Queen Elizabeth II sitts and laughs with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex during a ceremony to open the new Mersey Gateway Bridge on June 14, 2018 in the town of Widnes in Halton, Cheshire, England. Meghan Markle married Prince Harry last month to become The Duchess of Sussex and this is her first engagement with the Queen. During the visit the pair will open a road bridge in Widnes and visit The Storyhouse and Town Hall in Chester. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
(Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell)

The Queen's most famous mantra is believed to be one of the reasons Meghan Markle struggled with royal family life. 

The Queen's famous phrase "never complain, never explain" is something she has carried throughout her reign, remaining silent and neutral in the face of many controversial times, as per her mother's mantra.

It's something that royal experts claim would have made life within the royal fold particularly hard for Meghan, as it meant she was unable to hit back to the negative press attention and social media trolling that she was subject to after she married Prince Harry.

Prior to her new life in the royal spotlight, former Suits star Meghan was active on social media and had her own blog called The Tig where she shared her thoughts and advice.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 10: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 24 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex watch a flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018 in London, England. The 100th birthday of the RAF, which was founded on on 1 April 1918, was marked with a centenary parade with the presentation of a new Queen's Colour and flypast of 100 aircraft over Buckingham Palace. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Credit: Getty
(Image credit: Getty Images)

When she married Harry, she had to wipe the internet clean of her social media presence, stepping away from that part of her life to abide by royal rules.

Back in 2019, shortly after Harry and Meghan tied the knot at St George's Chapel in Windsor, royal pro Victoria Arbiter predicted that "never complain, never explain" would prove problematic for the Duchess of Sussex, who spoke out about her hardship within the royal family in her and Harry's iconic Oprah interview after they stepped back from their duties and moved to LA.

Victoria said at the time, "I think really she is doing incredibly well. It's very difficult when you come from a celebrity background where a publicist can stand up for you or come out and say 'no, that report is categorically untrue.'

"But, generally speaking, members of the public follow the Queen Mother's well-worn mantra: 'Never complain, never explain.' And so you have to sit back while the world's media and social media just comment."

Caitlin Elliott
Junior News Editor

Caitlin is a Junior News Editor for Goodto.com, covering all things royal, celeb, lifestyle, food, and family. Having set her sights on becoming a magazine journalist when she was a child, Caitlin took on work experience stints at local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree and has interviews with celebs, reality stars and the Archbishop of Canterbury under her belt (of course, she couldn't resist asking him about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry).